Over Anticipate
by BalorJunkie
Summary: Daryl taught her everything she knows on how to survive in this world. Follow Beth and Daryl on their roller coaster ride to get to where they are now. Rated M for future smut.
1. Fight

Daryl was stuck with _Beth_. How the hell did he get stuck with her? He never paid much attention to her before now, probably because she was always in the background. Never really anything special, just floating around being a babysitter to little Judith, and helping with everyday chores. Even now, as they wandered through the woods, he wasn't interested in being there with her. He would have rather gotten stuck with Carl, at least he had been out here before and knew how to defend himself. He now found himself throwing himself in situations that he never would have been in before. Jumping to save her ass from walkers and making sure she had a safe place to sleep every night. It was annoying to him. He didn't want to be her damn caretaker. He didn't know much about that anyway. Daryl figured that since he was stuck with Beth, he might as well teach her how to defend herself. He didn't know what the future held, though he wasn't fond of dwelling on that any longer.

Beth knew that Daryl didn't want her around. She figured he thought that he would be better off alone. Especially since she hadn't been out on the road. Only once, from the farm to the prison. But she never killed anything, everyone else did that. She oversaw Judith, day and night. Not that she minded, of course. Beth couldn't help but wonder though, if any training would have made her more useful out here. Maybe Daryl wouldn't hate her so much. She carried a knife on her side, but its not like she knew the first thing to do with it. She was weak, and Daryl knew that too. Somehow, some way, she needed to find strength. For Daryl's sake, and her own.

As they made their way through the wooded area, Daryl leading the way, they were coming up on a clearing. Daryl thought this was the perfect opportunity to start teaching the young blonde a thing or two. Stopping just in the middle of the bare clearing, he turned around to face Beth earning him a confused stare.

"Come here girl" he grunted.

Beth's eyes widened with surprise. He spoke to her. This was a rare action, so she decided that she should listen to him. He got angry fast, so she wasn't risking him yelling. Her steps were timid, as she walked toward Daryl not knowing what to expect.

"Hurry the hell up, we're losin' daylight" he blurted, seemingly annoyed.

Beth picked up her pace, not wanting to anger him anymore. Also wanting to know why the hell he is stopping. When she finally got to where he was standing, she kept her distance.

"Gonna need you to come a lil' closer for what I have planned for ya" Daryl still sounded irritated.

 _What?_ Beth really didn't know what to think, and now she was a somewhat scared. She shuffled closer until she was right in front of him, almost standing nose to nose. She gazed up at him, in anticipation and fear. He was looking down at her, but she couldn't read his face.

"Ya need to learn how to fight. Ain't gonna keep saving your ass forever" he spit.

"O…okay" Beth stuttered.

Daryl set his trusty crossbow down by his side, he needed to show her how to throw a punch before he moved on to weapons. It was probably going to end badly, but how much damage could a small teenager do to him?

"Alright, give me your best shot" he said, keeping his eyes on the ground.

Beth stood there, not really knowing what he meant. _What does he want me to do?_ She questioned in her head. _Hit him?_ No way.

"I'm… I… I don't know what you want me to do here" she stammered, timidly.

"I want ya to fuckin' hit me" he growled.

"I… can't" her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

"You're gonna need to, who the hell knows what kind of trouble is out there and I can't be up your ass all the time making sure ya don't get hurt. So, come on" he stated, grudgingly.

Boy, he was mean. She didn't really want to get him pissed off, so she steadied her footing and drew her right arm back. She never hit anyone before, only seen it happen so she was sure this was supposed to be her stance. Beth took a couple deep breaths, then before she knew it, her fist was connecting to Daryl's face.


	2. To Kill A Walker

Daryl stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide and clutching the side of his face. He hadn't expected her to hit that hard. Trying to suppress the amount of shock that he was in, Daryl stood up straight and stared at Beth in disbelief. She stood there holding her hand, breathing heavy.

"Damn girl, didn't know ya had it in ya" he said still rubbing his cheek.

Beth had nothing to say, so she kept quiet. She couldn't believe that she actually hit him. Well, he did tell her too. She tried to convince herself that she didn't need to feel as guilty as she did. She watched him as he stood there grasping where she had hit him, and she felt somewhat proud of herself. A smile crept across her face.

"Not sure I can take another hit like that" Daryl grunted. "Too damn old for that shit".

"In my defense, you practically begged for it" This surprised Daryl, Beth wasn't one for getting snippy.

"Yeah well, didn't figure you was gonna do it" he confessed.

"That's what ya get for thinking" she shot back.

Feeling uncomfortable, Daryl backed down. He wasn't used to Beth being so sassy. He wished she would go back to being quiet, but he knew that wasn't going to happen now. He picked up his crossbow and turned away from her. Next thing he needed to do was find a lone walker for the girl to kill. He was hopeful that it wouldn't end badly. She had proved that she could throw a punch, but did she have it in her to kill something? Even if it was dead.

"Where are we goin'"? She questioned.

Daryl rolled his eyes, thankful she couldn't see. He didn't really want to answer but he had a feeling that if he didn't, she was just going to keep on asking.

"Findin' you a walker to kill" he stated simply.

"I've never killed anythin' before, Daryl" Beth replied, her breath shaky.

"Which is why ya need to learn" he grunted.

Beth didn't say anything else, and just followed Daryl. Even though they hadn't spent that much time together, somehow, she trusted him. He was a great asset to the group back at the prison. His tracking and hunting skills were greatly appreciated to everyone, including Beth. Without him, they probably wouldn't have gotten to eat very often. Sure, they'd have cans of soup or whatever, but without Daryl there wouldn't have been meat. She was thankful for that, and for him. Being stuck with him now, on the run, was awkward though. They didn't say much to each other and kept their distance when they set up a camp. This little altercation that happened, was the most they had ever spoken to one another. With every step she took, the tension seemed to grow. Beth didn't know where this road was going to take them, but she was eager to find out.


End file.
